Let's think back to just a few years ago when the world seemed to be hating on Starbucks because they changed the design on their coffee cups. Our nation was in an uproar, and we were all told to boycott Starbucks. Yes, our nation was boycotting a coffee shop based on the color of their cups when the idea of them was to have us decorate them how we best saw fit. Well fast forward to 2017, and the nation is in an uproar again.

How did this start? CEO Howard Schultz had announced that he planned to hire 10,000 refugees in the coming few years. He felt as though they were not getting the opportunities that they needed to get jobs and provide for their families. The nation immediately went into a panic as the president tweeted that they should be hiring homeless veterans instead and he petitioned the nation to #boycottStarbucks which lots of people have done. The issue here is that nobody has the facts straight.

Just four years ago in 2013, Starbucks had made a pledge to hire 10,000 veterans by the end of 2018. They also debunked the argument of hiring unemployed people as the CEO linked people to their website in which they are planning and building Starbucks in lower income communities. Many veterans and other people have come out saying that they were hired by and had a great experience with the company. This boycott shows how people can take a statement made and blow it out of proportion.

Starbucks has been a big leader in hiring the less fortunate and veterans for many years, and this is just another example of how they plan to do it. I think the world needs to understand that these refugees have to eat and provide for their families and they deserve a chance to do this. Also, we need to be aware that based on years of statistics and evidence that Starbucks is not taking jobs away from anyone else. They have been hiring many different types of people for years.

America needs to get it together and understand that boycotting a cup of coffee based on who they hire is a ridiculous idea. (Here is a list of 35 places that will hire veterans and this is one of many lists that you can find with a simple google search.) We act as though Starbucks and others are completely turning a blind eye to those struggling out there and that is just not the case. Many organizations are doing all they can for these people and Starbucks is one of those companies.